Bedford Police Join Statewide Effort to Reduce Distracted Driving Crashes

BEDFORD, MA - You'll notice extra police patrols in Bedford starting this month as part of a statewide effort to reduce distracted driving crashes.

The Bedford Police Department will partner with the 202 eligible local Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and the Massachusetts State Police in the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. mobilization to crack down on texting while driving. The campaign, which combines traditional and innovative enforcement strategies, begins on April 8 and continues through April 29. The initiative is funded by a grant administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“Driving and texting is illegal and irresponsible. People who we see breaking our state’s texting law will be stopped and fined. Distracted Driving is a major problem, and we’re trying to keep the public safe by fining violators. If you drive and text, you will pay,” said Traffic Enforcement Officer Marc Saucier.

Texting while driving was outlawed in Massachusetts in 2010. Adult drivers who write, send, or read electronic messages or browse the Internet while driving face a $100 fine for a first offense – even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic. Teen drivers under 18 are entirely prohibited from using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving, including to make phone calls. The fine for a juvenile first offense is $100, a 60 day license suspension, and required completion of a driver attitudinal course.

These costly violations underscore the danger inherent in Distracted Driving. In 2014, across the United States, 3,179 people were killed and an additional 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

A 2013 study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that any activity that diverts a driver’s eyes from the road for two seconds or more, such as texting or using a mobile device, increases crash risk by a factor of three. This level of impairment is similar to driving drunk, with a blood alcohol concentration of .08.

“Texting and driving requires motorists to take their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving. It creates the proverbial ‘perfect storm’ for a crash, and no one has the right to put another person’s life at risk like that,” said Traffic Enforcement Officer and School Resource Officer Steve Waite.

“It’s not that complicated: if you text and drive, we will see you, pull you over, and we will put it in writing for you. We’re serious about enforcing texting laws,” said Sergeant Paul Saunders.

You can find more information about the dangers of distracted driving at the department’s website at www.bedfordpd.org.